For many Americans, home represents stability, comfort, and independence. Unfortunately, as we age, things that once came naturally to us can become major hurdles. While a bedroom on the second floor may feel like the norm in most houses, the daily routine of climbing stairs can weigh heavily on seniors.
At Choice Mutual, we work closely with Americans as they and their loved ones grow older. It’s because of this that we understand how big a decision it can be to recognize when a home no longer fits your needs or when it’s time to prepare for the next stage of life.
For some families, that can mean modifying a home, moving an aging parent into your home, or even considering an assisted living facility. Often, these housing decisions come alongside other important conversations, such as medical wishes, caregiving options, and funeral planning.
While some parts of the country appear to be designed with aging residents in mind, others fall short. That’s why we set out to learn which cities are best for aging Americans. To do this, we analyzed Redfin housing data nationwide to identify where first-floor primary bedrooms are most common.
In addition to our search for accessible homes, we analyzed each city’s climate risks and walkability to create an overall age-in-place index on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 representing the best place for aging residents. Read on to learn more about our findings.
Cities Most Prepared For Aging Residents
While our age-in-place index included real estate, walkability, and climate risk data, we wanted to ensure the ranking focused primarily on first-floor bedrooms and easy walkability. So when calculating our ranking by city, we weighted the three factors as follows: 40% for first-floor primaries, 40% for walkability, and 20% for climate.
Leading the way with an age-in-place index of 71.77 out of 100 is Boise, ID, where 75% of homes include a bedroom on the first floor. When it comes to safety tips for seniors, stairs are often a common concern.
From low lighting to loose rugs at the top and bottom, older Americans can face many dangers navigating stairs. But the abundance of homes in Boise that don’t require residents to worry about stairs is part of what earns this city first place.
Up next is Sacramento, CA, with an index of 67.71. Although the city has a higher percentage of first-floor bedrooms (64%), homes in Sacramento offer easy walkability, with a score of 81.94 out of 100.
In third place is Dallas, TX, with an age-in-place index of 67.13 out of 100. Dallas ranks sixth in the highest percentage of homes with accessible primary bedrooms (78%), making it one of the five Texas cities in the top 10 for first-floor bedrooms.
| Rank | City, State | Age-in-Place Index (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise, ID | 71.77 |
| 2 | Sacramento, CA | 67.71 |
| 3 | Dallas, TX | 67.13 |
| 4 | Los Angeles, CA | 65.97 |
| 5 | Bakersfield, CA | 65.68 |
| 6 | Lincoln, NE | 64.52 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | 63.06 |
| 8 | Miami, FL | 62.49 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | 62.20 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | 59.58 |
| 10 | Houston, TX | 59.58 |
| 12 | Orlando, FL | 59.29 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | 59.00 |
| 14 | Corpus Christi, TX | 58.71 |
| 15 | Stockton, CA | 58.42 |
| 15 | San Jose, CA | 58.42 |
| 17 | Honolulu, HI | 58.13 |
| 17 | Milwaukee, WI | 58.13 |
| 19 | Fresno, CA | 57.84 |
| 20 | Portland, OR | 57.26 |
| 20 | Tampa, FL | 57.26 |
| 22 | Jacksonville, FL | 56.10 |
| 23 | Virginia Beach, VA | 56.09 |
| 24 | San Francisco, CA | 55.22 |
| 25 | Las Vegas, NV | 54.93 |
| 26 | Chicago, IL | 54.36 |
| 27 | Fort Worth, TX | 54.06 |
| 28 | Tucson, AZ | 52.32 |
| 29 | Buffalo, NY | 52.04 |
| 30 | New Orleans, LA | 52.03 |
| 31 | Washington, D.C. | 51.74 |
| 32 | San Antonio, TX | 51.16 |
| 32 | Louisville, KY | 51.16 |
| 34 | San Diego, CA | 50.58 |
| 35 | Reno, NV | 49.13 |
| 36 | Tulsa, OK | 48.55 |
| 36 | Lexington, KY | 48.55 |
| 38 | St. Louis, IL | 47.68 |
| 38 | New York, NY | 47.68 |
| 40 | Minneapolis, MN | 47.39 |
| 41 | Pittsburgh, PA | 46.52 |
| 42 | Fort Wayne, IN | 45.94 |
| 43 | Greensboro, NC | 45.64 |
| 44 | Philadelphia, PA | 44.78 |
| 45 | Colorado Springs, CO | 43.91 |
| 46 | Boston, MA | 43.61 |
| 47 | Indianapolis, IN | 43.32 |
| 48 | Atlanta, GA | 43.03 |
| 48 | Kansas City, KS | 43.03 |
| 50 | Oakland, CA | 42.45 |
| 51 | Omaha, NE | 41.87 |
| 52 | Memphis, TN | 41.29 |
| 53 | Madison, WI | 39.55 |
| 54 | Cleveland, OH | 38.39 |
| 55 | Detroit, MI | 36.94 |
| 56 | Baltimore, MD | 36.35 |
| 56 | Columbus, OH | 36.35 |
| 58 | Raleigh, NC | 33.45 |
| 59 | Cincinnati, OH | 32.87 |
| 60 | Richmond, VA | 32.58 |
| 61 | Charlotte, NC | 30.26 |
| 62 | Nashville, TN | 20.97 |
On the other end of the scale, we found Nashville, TN, to be the worst city for aging in place, with an index of 20.97 out of 100. In addition to having one of the lowest percentages of accessible homes (32%), Nashville ranks third-lowest in walkability, with a score of 7.90 out of 100.
Similarly, the second-worst city to age in place is Charlotte, NC, with an index of 30.26, as the city earned the eighth-lowest walkability score. This is followed by Richmond, VA (32.58), Cincinnati, OH (32.87), and Raleigh, NC (33.45) in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.
Where Homes Are Most Accessible For Seniors
While the best cities to age in place were ranked based on several factors, we wanted to highlight the cities with the most accessible homes. First up, with 88% of homes including a first-floor primary bedroom, is Fort Worth, TX.
Further south in the state of Texas, we find that accessibility is a common trend, as San Antonio, TX, claims second place with 84% of homes offering seniors easy access to their bedrooms.
Up next is Bakersfield, CA, with 83% of homes including an accessible primary bedroom. Making it one of two California cities to land in the top 10, Fresno claims 10th place with 75% of homes featuring a first-floor primary bedroom.
Regardless of where you live, aging in place takes planning. According to the National Institute of Aging, finding the right professional or personal support for home-based health care can help seniors maintain their independence. Similarly, making safety updates to homes, such as tightening loose stair railings and updating lighting, can help keep aging Americans in their homes longer.
Methodology
In this study of aging-in-place statistics, we set out to identify the best places for Americans to age in place. To do this, we analyzed Redfin housing data for more than 3,000 cities. We calculated the percentage of homes with a primary bedroom on the first floor. We also collected climate risk data from FEMA and walkability data from the EPA by city.
Next, we grouped smaller nearby cities into more than 62 major cities. Then, to score these cities, we population-weighted the average of each zip code in each major city for each factor to arrive at a city-wide average. Then scores were normalized on a 5 to 95 point scale, based on percentile rank (not min-max).
Next, we changed Climate Risk into Climate Safety so all high scores would be good. Finally, we added the scores for each ranking factor, with the following weights: 40% for 1st-floor primaries, 40% for walkability, and 20% for climate.
Due to a lack of data, the following cities were removed from this study: Anchorage, AK; Albuquerque, NM; Durham, NC; El Paso, TX; Lubbock, TX; Newark, NJ; Salt Lake City, UT; and Wichita, KS.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 16 years of experience.
- Personal annual production that puts him in the top .001% out of all life insurance agents in the nation.
Anthony Martin is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 16 years of experience and has personally served over 10,000 clients with their life insurance needs. He frequently authors entrepreneurial and life insurance content for Forbes, Inc.com, Newsweek, Kiplinger, and Entreprenuer.com. Anthony has been consulted as an expert life insurance source for dozens of high-profile websites such as Forbes, Bankrate, Reuters, Fox Business, CNBC, Investopedia, Insurance.com, Yahoo Finance, and many more.
Choice Mutual often cites third-party websites to provide context and verification for specific claims made in our work. We only link to authoritative websites that provide accurate information. You can learn more about our editorial standards, which guide our mission of delivering factual and impartial content.
-
Redfin housing data. https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-location-mapping#walkability
-
safety tips for seniors. https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/tip-sheet-home-safety-tips-older-adults
-
National Institute of Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place/aging-place-growing-older-home
-
climate risk data from FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/products-tools/national-risk-index
-
walkability data from the EPA. https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-location-mapping#walkability
